WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J., was elected on June 21, 2016, as Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). President Obama appointed Father Reese to the Commission on May 15, 2014, and reappointed him on May 12, 2016.

“I am honored to serve as USCIRF’s Chair and work with my fellow Commissioners in support of freedom of religion or belief,” said Father Reese. “World events underscore the importance of this fundamental right:  A key factor in many of the United States’ foreign policy challenges, religious freedom is under serious and sustained attack across much of the globe. As an independent, bipartisan federal government commission, USCIRF provides recommendations to help the President, Secretary of State, and Congress protect and advance this precious freedom.”  

Father Reese is a Senior Analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, a position he has held since 2014.  Previously, he was a Senior Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 2006 to 2013 and from 1988 to 1998, and also served as the Editor-in-Chief of America magazine from 1998 to 2005 and an associate editor from 1978 to 1985. Father Reese entered the Jesuits in 1962 and was ordained in 1974.  He is the author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. He received a B.A. and an M.A. from St. Louis University, an M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Also on June 21, two USCIRF Commissioners were elected Vice-Chairs: Dr. Daniel Mark and Dr. James J. Zogby.  Speaker of the House Paul Ryan reappointed Dr. Mark on May 16, 2016, and President Barack Obama reappointed Dr. Zogby on May 14, 2015. 

Dr. Daniel Mark is an assistant professor of political science at Villanova University and the battalion professor of Villanova's Navy ROTC unit.  For the 2015-16 academic year, Dr. Mark is on sabbatical as a visiting fellow in the Department of Politics at Princeton University under the sponsorship of the department’s James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.

Dr. James J. Zogby is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community.  He is also Managing Director of Zogby Research Services, which specializes in public opinion polling across the Arab world.

Also serving on the Commission are: Kristina Arriaga, Sandra Jolley, Dr. John Ruskay, and Ambassador Jackie Wolcott. Rabbi David Saperstein, the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, serves ex officio on the Commission.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom welcomes the appointment of two Commissioners.  Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) on May 13, 2016 announced the reappointment of Daniel I. Mark and the appointment of Kristina Arriaga.

Dr. Daniel Mark is an assistant professor of political science at Villanova University, where he teaches political theory, philosophy of law, American government, and politics and religion. At Villanova, he holds the rank of battalion professor in the Navy ROTC unit and is a faculty associate of the Matthew J. Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions and the Public Good. He also is a fellow of the Witherspoon Institute and an assistant editor of Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy. Dr. Mark works with the Tikvah Fund in New York and has taught at the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University. He holds a BA, MA, and PhD from the Department of Politics at Princeton University. There, he was affiliated with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, the Program in Law and Public Affairs, and the Penn-Princeton Bioethics Forum. Before graduate school, he spent four years as a high school teacher.  Dr. Daniel I. Mark was appointed to his first term by then Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) in May, 2014.

Kristina Arriaga de Bucholz has been the Executive Director of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty since 2010: she joined the Fund in 1995. After starting her career in D.C. working for U.S. Ambassador José Sorzano at the Cuban American National Foundation, she became an advisor to the U.S. delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC). Splitting her time between the seat of the UNHRC in Geneva and Washington, D.C., Ms. Arriaga worked on raising awareness of the plight of political prisoners with New York Times bestselling author, former political prisoner, Armando Valladares who was named Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission. After returning to the U.S., Ms. Arriaga continued to work on behalf of defectors and refugees. She also worked on domestic affairs as an Intergovernmental Relations Officer at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and then later as a four-year appointee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Barack Obama on May 12, 2016 announced his intent to reappoint Rev. Thomas Reese, S.J. and appoint Dr. John Ruskay to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).  

“USCIRF is very pleased with the reappointment of Father Reese and the appointment of Dr. Ruskay,” said USCIRF Chairman Dr. Robert P. George. “The Commission has benefited from Father Reese’s insight and knowledge during his first term and will continue to benefit from his wisdom and experience during his second term on the Commission.  We also warmly welcome Dr. Ruskay to the Commission. His knowledge, experience, and commitment also will be a great asset to our Commission and its mandate, helping us advance the cherished right of freedom of religion or belief around the world.”   

Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J. is a Senior Analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, where he has worked since 2013.  Father Reese was Editor-in-Chief of America magazine from 1998 to 2005 and an associate editor from 1978 to 1985.  Additionally, Father Reese was a Senior Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 2006 to 2013 and from 1985 to 1998.  Father Reese entered the Jesuits in 1962 and was ordained in 1974.  He was first appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2014.  Father Reese received a B.A. and M.A. from St. Louis University, an M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. John Ruskay is a partner at JRB Consulting Services, a position he has held since 2014.  Dr. Ruskay is currently the Executive Vice President-Emeritus of the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, where he previously served as Executive Vice President & CEO from 1999 to 2014.  He began his tenure at the UJA Federation working in a variety of roles in 1993 including Chief Operating Officer, Group Vice President for Program Services, and Executive Director for Education and Community Services.  From 1985 to 1993, Dr. Ruskay served as the Vice Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.  From 1980 to 1985, he was the Education Director of the 92nd Street Y.  Dr. Ruskay received a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Composed of nine commissioners, USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal body that is principally responsible for reviewing the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and making policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress. The President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives appoint USCIRF Commissioners. 

To interview a USCIRF Commissioners, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.